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Mississippi County
Covington County, Mississippi
Okatoma Creek - Mississippi's premier canoe trail - from the Okatoma Creek canoe trail (the Okatoma Creek flowing through Covington County is one of Mississippi's most beloved recreational waterways - the clear, spring-fed stream with sandy beaches, cypress trees, and excellent water quality has made it the state's premier canoe and kayak destination, drawing paddlers from across the region to float through the south Mississippi piney woods landscape) to Covington County's timber and poultry economy in the south-central Mississippi interior.
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Office: Covington County Emergency Management Department – 502 S. Arrington Avenue, PO Box 848, Collins, MS 39428 | (601) 765-6687 or (601) 765-1961 | Email: [email protected].
Sheriff: Covington County Sheriff’s Office – 1107 Main St, Collins, MS 39428 | (601) 765-8281 | Fax: (601) 765-3200; Sheriff Darrell M. Perkins; elected at-large, four-year term.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Covington County 911 Operations Center handles countywide dispatch.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-49 and US-84 serve Collins, the county seat and largest city; Highway 84 runs east-west through Collins connecting to mid-size cities to either side, while Highway 49 brings thousands of daily travelers through the county.
Notes: Covington County was established January 5, 1819, less than two years after Mississippi statehood – one of the first counties carved from the state’s non-agricultural eastern lands, originally cut from Lawrence and Wayne Counties and encompassing what later became Jefferson Davis, Covington, and Jones Counties (part split off to form Smith County in 1823). Named for U.S. Army officer and Congressman Leonard Covington. Roughly 17,900-18,340 residents across 414-415 square miles. Collins was originally incorporated in 1899 as Williamsburg Depot; when the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad bypassed the older town of Williamsburg (the original county seat), the local sawmills and the town itself relocated to be nearer the tracks; the city was renamed for Fred W. Collins and formally incorporated November 24, 1906.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Covington County Courthouse – Dogwood Ave, Collins, MS 39428 | PO Box 1679, Collins, MS 39428 | (601) 765-6132; built 1906-1907 (first used 1908) in Classical Revival style by architect W.S. Hull, NRHP-listed 1991.
Notes: The Covington County Historical and Genealogical Society Museum in Collins preserves local artifacts and history, with an associated library holding county tax rolls dating from 1900-1939 and abstracts of local land holdings.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Covington County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via covingtoncountyms.gov.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Jackson, MS or Hattiesburg, MS VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
R.E. Blackwell Memorial Library – 403 S Fir Avenue, Collins, MS 39428 | (601) 765-4612 | Fax: (601) 765-3317; part of the Covington County Library System.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Covington County Historical and Genealogical Society Museum and the historic Covington County Courthouse are the county’s primary points of local interest.
Notes: The county’s genuine railroad-driven relocation story – from Williamsburg to what became Collins – is a distinctive piece of local settlement history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Covington County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via covingtoncountyms.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
City of Collins Animal Control – governed by City Ordinance 514, providing impoundment and sheltering services for stray and abandoned animals within Collins city limits, with penalties for repeat violations; confirm current shelter address/phone via cityofcollins.com. No dedicated countywide Covington County animal shelter was confirmed – flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. Confirm current county-level options via covingtoncountyms.gov or the Sheriff’s Office, (601) 765-8281.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Covington County – confirm current contact via covingtoncountyms.gov.
NOTES: Covington County is the second county in the third batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. The county’s railroad-driven town relocation story from Williamsburg to Collins is a distinctive piece of local settlement history. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Covington County
Covington County is Mississippi’s premier canoe trail county – the clear, spring-fed Okatoma Creek is the state’s most beloved paddling waterway, its sandy beaches and cypress corridor drawing canoeists and kayakers from across Mississippi and the region.
Collins (the county seat, population ~2,500) is the hub for Covington County’s timber, poultry, and outdoor recreation communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Covington County Tax Assessor at 101 S. Dogwood Avenue, Collins, MS 39428, phone 601-765-8281. MS residential assessed at 10% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Covington County Chancery Court at 101 S. Dogwood Avenue, Collins, MS 39428, phone 601-765-4242, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
101 S. Dogwood Ave., Collins, MS 39428
(601) 765-4242
CIRCUIT CLERK
101 S. Dogwood Ave., Collins, MS 39428
(601) 765-4242
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Covington County Chancery Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1907 Covington County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark; the former county seat of Williamsburg is a notable historical footnote.
Local societies
No dedicated Covington County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Covington County Chancery Court 101 S. Dogwood Avenue (mail: P.O. Drawer 1679), Collins, MS 39428 (601) 765-4242
Covington County was founded 1819, named for Leonard Covington, in southeastern Mississippi, seated in Collins. Collins was previously named Williamsburg Depot; the original county seat, Williamsburg, lost that status in 1906 after three successive courthouses there burned down. The 1907 Covington County Courthouse in Collins, Classical Revival in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Mississippi has not adopted the Uniform Probate Code and instead follows its own statutory framework under Miss. Code Ann. Title 91, Chapter 7. Mississippi’s small-estate threshold, at $75,000, is one of the lowest in the country, so most estates end up needing at least some court involvement.
Small Estate Affidavit (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322) – personal property only, up to $75,000 (excluding liens and encumbrances). A 30-day waiting period after death applies. The affidavit is presented directly to whoever holds the property (a bank, for instance); that party is not required to investigate the truth of the affidavit and is protected from liability once it complies.
Muniment of Title (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-5-35) – a limited proceeding to transfer real property named in a will, without full administration, when the estate’s non-real-estate assets are $75,000 or less and all debts (including taxes) have been paid. A petition is still filed with the Chancery Court to declare the will valid; the will and court order are then recorded in the land records.
Formal Administration – required for most estates with real property beyond the muniment-of-title threshold or significant liquid assets. The Chancery Judge reviews the petition, the will (if any), and supporting documents before issuing Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration appointing the personal representative.
Step 2: filing for probate
File a petition with the Chancery Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled.
The personal representative inventories assets and notifies creditors; Mississippi’s creditor claim period runs 90 days (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-145).
Claims and disputes are adjudicated by the Chancery Court if contested.
Once debts are settled and the creditor period closes, the estate can be distributed and closed.
What it costs
Costs are the Chancery Clerk’s per-county filing fee (built on the statewide base under Miss. Code § 25-7-9), plus recording fees and publication costs.
Mississippi has no state estate tax or inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could separately apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
101 S. Dogwood Ave., Collins, MS 39428
(601) 765-6971
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
101 S. Dogwood Ave., Collins, MS 39428
(601) 765-4242
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Covington County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via covingtoncountyms.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Collins
Population: 19,000
Area: 414 sq mi
Established: 1819
Tier: 3
Public Records
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